Fuller ball



n. 3. sum. -FULLER BALL- APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 10, 1920- 1 99,459 Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

. tion, andscrew threaded means engagmg with the rod for effecting the longitudinal,

DAY/TED B. BIRD, UIIE' UHICAGU, ILLTNUIE.

rnntnn. nnrm.

ncense.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented lDec. 6, 1921i.

Application filed fieptenlber 10, 1920. Serial No. tfl9,312.

. to the reference characters marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

. This invention relates to new and useful improvements in Fuller balls for faucets and other devices where a removable, renewable valve closure may be used.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a Fuller ball for faucets, so constructed and arranged as to provide a proper closure for the valve; one which will have proper resiliency to compensate for ordinary wear and insure proper seating upon the valve surface, one which will be rela tively cheap in construction and easily manipulated for the purpose oi. repairing or replacement by the non-skilled user; and also in the preferred term one which is provided witha reversible feature, thereby dou bling its normal life and usefulness.

To this end, ll provide a structure comarising a rod member adapted at one end to e connected with the crank or operating part of a faucet or other construction with which the Fuller ball may be used; a valve member proper consisting oi an outer shell suiiiciently strong for the purpose intended but yet of a somewhat resilient nature, and having a resilient interior or core such as rubber; and which shell, it intended to be reversible, may be made in two parts; a compression member adapted to contact with the interior core and to have longitudi nal movement with respect to the shell pormovement of the compression member.

The various advantages of my invention specification.

p In that form 01 the invention in which I have chosen to illustrate the same in the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 depicts a conventional type of faucet in side view, with a portion broken will be more manifest as I proceed with my away in. section to illustrate no im ro-ved Fuller ball y p in operative position.

F ig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view, enlarged, of the Fuller ball. Figs. 3 and at are similar views, enlarged, showing modifications of the type shown in Fi s. l and 2.

eterring now to said drawings, the letter A represents the faucet as a whole, having a handle B and an enteriorly screw threaded nipple C, by which the faucet A may be secured to the water supply pipe. The handle B may be connected by the screw D to a crank post E, which is provided at its lower end with an eccentrically mounted pin F.

The water inlet G of the faucet connects with the outlet chamber H, through the usual horizontal conduit or passageway I, on the inlet side of which conduit 1 is the usual annular valve seat J against which the Fuller ball represented as a whole by the letter ll, will rest.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the Fuller ball K is composed of a rod 1, adapted at one end for engagement with the crank pin F, and provided at its opposite end with exterior screw threads 2. Intermediate its ends is an annular flanged shoulder 3. The Fuller ball has a hollow shell member 4 of the general shape and contour illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, provided with a central recess or aperture through which the rod 1 will be passed so that the small tapered end or the shell 4 will rest against the annular flanged shoulder 3 on the rod. The shell 4, as shown, is filled with a resilient material, such as the rubber 5. An ans nular compression member 6 is adapted to fit within the open end of the shell 4 and have its interior face press against the rubber or other resilient material 6 therein. Means for compressing the member 6 against the. core and also uniting it to the shell 4.- 1s

provided by the interiorly screw threaded recess 7 with which the screw threaded end 2 of the rod 1 is engaged. Thus the member 6 forms a closure for the open end of the nular ,interior recess or shouldered groove 8 adaptedtoreceive the reduced portion or flange 9 of the end of the shells, the flange 9 ginthe recess 8.

'In the form shown in Fig. 2, where th compression member 6 is of a diameter to V fit within the open end of the shell at and the two are held together solely by compression, and the engagement of the rod 1 with the screw threaded recessT, any tendency of the shell to expand may be avoided by the mod- 'ification shown in Fig. 4.

In the two forms just described, it will be noted *that' the screw threaded recess 7 is formed in the compression member 6, but

this is not I16C6SS1.1 as'the rod '1 may project throughthe compression member 6 and the screw threaded securing means asso .ciatedwith this'memberfbein the form of a nut adapted-to engage the screw threaded end'Qofther dand also bearupon the com- 'pression member 6. One form of thismod- "ifi'cation'is illustrated in Fig. 3.

V In said Fig. 3, the compression member 6 'alsoserves as part of 'the shell. The rod 1 extends through said shell 6 and is engaged 1 by. a separatenut or screw threaded member 10. In this form the shell is made of two parts of the same exterior and interior con- H v withannular circumferential grooves, male and' female, 11 and 12, and the shell 6 conformation. Their open ends are provided stitutes the compression member. 'VVhen the nut 10 is'screwed down upon the rod 1, 1t

7 will be manifest that'the two halvesjof the shell, having telescopic engagement, 1 are brought closer together, thus compressing j the int'erior rubber core 5; In this modified f0rm,'the'icore will be made to conform to theinterior shape o'fthe two half members t and 6 'of'the shell,instead of being of the conformation illustrated in Fig. 2, where a flat core surface is shown in contact with the flat face of the compression member 6. 'It

will also be manifest that in this form of arrangement, the outersurface of'each shell .or damaged the ma 10 may be removed from the rodl, the'valve K reversed upon the rod,

and the'parts brought together by replacing the nut 10,'thus making the Fuller ball reversible, or doubling its life.

I prefer to make the shell 4 of a composition or mixture of hard Babbitt metal and one rich in its tin content. A shell made of such an admixture produces a metal that will be sufliciently tough and rigid for ordinary uses and yet which will'be somewhat resilient and nicely adapt itself to seat "against the valve seat of the faucet. I

rod, a thin metal shell member mounted thereon and adapted to cooperate with a valve seat, a resilient material within said shell member, a compression member bearmg upon the resilient material, and the means associated with the crank rod and the compression member for securing said member and the shell member together.

i 2. In a Fuller ball construction, a crank rod, a resilient shell member mounted thereon and adapted for cooperation with a valve seat, a compression membermounted on said rod, a yielding filling material inclosed by the shell and compression members, and means cooperating with the crank rod for securing the compression member in operative position, said last mentioned member having relative movement with respect to the shell and being adapted to compress the filling material within the shell member.

In a Fuller ball construction, a crank rod adapted for operative connection with the crank pin or a faucet and provided intermediate its ends with an annular shoulder, a shell member of thin, somewhat resilient material mounted on the rod, a compression member also mounted on the rod, a resilient filling material completely inclosed by said members, and means for securing the compressionnieinbei to the crank rod.

4. In a Fuller ball, the combination of a crank rod and a reversible valve member mounted thereon, said valve member comprising a two part shell provided interiorly with a resilient material, the parts of the valve member having telescopic engagement with each other, a nut member adapted to engage the rod member and one of the parts of the valve member.

5. In a Fuller ball construction, the combination with a crank rod and a hollow valve member of resilient material mounted thereon, of a compression member also mounted on said rod, and havim telescopic engagement with the valve member, a filling of esilient material, and means associated vith the compression member for actuating the said members to compress the filling material and securing the members together, said filling material being entirely inclosed by the two members.

6. A Fuller ball construction comprising a crank rod adapted at one end for opera- 7 tive connection with the crank pin of a fanset and at its other end provided with screw threads, an annular shoulder on said rod intermediate its ends, a shell member of thin metal having relative resiliency and adapted for operative contact With a faucet Valve seat, said shell member being supported on said rod and bearing against said annular shoulder, a rubber core filling said shell member, a compression member on said rod to close the open end of the shell member and having contact With the rubber filling and a nut mounted upon the screw thread end of the rod and adapted to secure the two members together, said rubber filling being completely incased by the shell and the com- 15 pression members,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention it affix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses, this 7th day of 

